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Rolla, Mo. -
A fire closed the Rolla Walmart on Friday for nearly three hours, and the blaze, which at its peak reached four-feet high, appears to have started on the roof and has been determined to be accidental.
No one was injured during the evacuation or the fighting of the blaze, which was responded to with two 75-foot ladder trucks and seven firefighters in about four minutes.
At the time of the fire, about 150 Walmart employees were in the building, according to a co-manager, who would only identify herself as Renata. She said there was no estimate of how many shoppers were in the store at the time.
Rolla Fire & Rescue received a call at 12:10 p.m. that the store located at 500 South Bishop Ave. was on fire. Preliminary police and fire scanner reports indicated the blaze was concentrated on the roof of the building, where a Mountain Home, Ark., company had been replacing a section of the roof.
“The state fire marshal has ruled it an apparent accidental fire,” said Rolla Fire Chief Robert Williams. “They have ruled out any sort of chemical reaction.”
Williams said the fire was burning inside the roof, melting the rubber roofing and styrofoam insulation under the rubberized top layer.
“The fire is moving between the roof membrane and the ceiling, flaring up in different areas, although it’s pretty much staying in the area where it began,” Williams said at the time. “There’s always a danger of the roof collapsing when firefighters are on top fighting the fire.”
The fire was discovered by a customer who saw the flames.
When asked why the fire alarm didn’t go off, Williams said the fire remained above the sprinkler and alarm system.
“You wouldn’t have gotten anything until the fire came down and activated the smoke alarms and detectors,” he said.
Inspection of the roof revealed at least three generators used by the roofers, but none were located near the source of the fire.
Williams was asked whether workers of Cornerstone Building Services, Inc., were using hot tar in the roofing process and were told they were not.
“It’s my understanding they were using long screws (to attach roofing material),” Williams said.
Williams was asked whether a cigarette or another incendiary device could have caused the fire.
“The company tells us they have a policy workers who smoke are supposed to go to the ground to do that,” Williams said.
The roofing crew, which had taken a lunch break when the fire broke out, was neither at the scene afterward nor did its workers immediately return.
Calls to the company’s office at 636 Cannie Baker Road, Suite 102, in Mountain Home, Ark., were not answered.
The store remained closed for nearly three hours as firefighters extinguished, doused flare-ups and then store employees worked to reopen the store, which was accomplished about 4 p.m.
Firefighters and Rolla Municipal Utilities employees worked in tandem to minimize the effects of the fire.
“We went in and immediately cut power to most of the building,” said Rolla Fire & Rescue Training Officer Ron Smith. “With our firefighters in there standing in water, we wanted to make sure there was no (electrocution) danger,” Smith said. “The power being off, at least initially, was our doing.”
After the fire was extinguished, electricity was restored to all but about the rear-center half of the building.
“If you are in the restroom area in the back-center of the store, the fire was directly above,” said Rolla Fire Capt. Allan Michaels.
Firefighters and Walmart officials were concerned about restoring electricity as soon as possible to as much of the store as possible.
“The concern is about the coolers and the frozen foods area,” Smith said as he conferred with Michaels via radio upon learning the fire had been extinguished.
By 2:15 p.m., electricity was restored to about 50 percent of the store, which included the food areas. By 4 p.m., the store reopened with only the rear restroom area closed to shoppers.
The fire burned about a 12-foot by 12-foot square on the roof.
“Usually, when you have a roof fire like this, it’s one of those things,” said Capt. Michaels, standing on the roof pointing to a roof-top air-conditioner.
That, however, was not the case this time, as the investigation into the exact cause of the fire continues.
Walmart employees congregated outside near the front western entrance of the building, waiting for the “all-clear” before they returned to work.
Immediately after the evacuation, Sales Associate Amanda Drury, who works in the shoe department, said she first saw smoke near the top of the doorway in the rear of the building.
“I got out of there,” Drury said. “I told Melissa to call a Code Red (fire notification). The Fire Department was there quick.”
Daniel Peters, sales associate, said he started to smell smoke after more people started to evacuate.
“We were instructed to collect together out in the front of the store and to make sure everyone was out and safe,” Peters said.
Another employee, Shelly McDowell, Connection Center manager, said she saw smoke above the shoe department.
“It was coming from the ceiling – someone told me they saw flames,” McDowell said.
Further comments from store employees ended abruptly when a handful of Walmart managers walked through the throngs of employees and advised them not to speak to reporters.
Later, the same managers began to count and list the on-duty employees waiting in the parking lot.
Because of the large nature of the structure and the number of occupants, the Fire Department also requested a recall of all firefighters which brought to the scene two additional pumpers, and an air trailer.
Through the recall of city personnel an additional 12 firefighters assisted, bringing the total to about 20 firefighters.
The Rolla Rural Fire Department was placed on standby to cover any additional calls within the city.
Williams stated “the City of Rolla Fire Department has some of the best firefighters in Missouri and appreciated their effort and quick actions.”
Once the fire had been extinguished, the department requested the State Fire Marshal to investigate the cause and origin of the fire. Roger Windle, Regional Fire Marshal, responded and conducted the investigation with the assistance of local firefighters.
Damage was contained to the roof with some water and smoke damage to the interior. Estimated damage to the building was approximately $15,000.
After an inspection by the Phelps County Health Department, City of Rolla Codes Department, and Walmart management the store was able to open at 4 p.m. Friday.
http://www.therolladailynews.com/news/x931238853/Rolla-Walmart-roof-burns
